Mission Faithwalk

                 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. (II Timothy 2:1-7)             At some point, Dallas Willard suggested that we should burn grace like a jet burns fuel on take-off. I’m not entirely comfortable with this idea, because a jet burning fuel de...

  And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. (II Timothy 1:13-14)                 In today’s passage, Paul continues his discussion of the gifts that God had given him and Timothy. Paul was given a gift of appointment as 1) a herald, 2) an apostle, and 3) a teacher. One gift in the sense that they came together, but three gifts. We’re not limited to one. Paul also didn’t indicate what Timothy’s gift was for some reason. That’s a good thing, though. If he had mentioned that Timothy’s...

                      He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (II Timothy 1:9-10)                 “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance, he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” ― Robert Jastrow, G od and the Astronomers (1978)             ...

                 The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. (Deuteronomy 31:5-7) It’s being a whimpery morning and I need this. There’s nothing really wrong, except that I can’t get to work on this, that, and the other because I have to leave for work in 15 minutes. The drama queen enters, stage center (because she’s always at stage center) with her tale of woe because what has not been done yet today will never get done. It’s all over because she (the Fat Lady) is singing. At the end...

                 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline . (II Timothy 1:5-7)   What do you think about gifts God gives? It seems to me that some people think it’s like Spiderman’s super power. One day, they’re “bitten” by the Holy Spirit and suddenly, they can something new and amazing. And yes, God can work that way, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s described in today’s passage. Paul says he was persuaded that Timothy had a sincere faith. He is sure that, through the laying on of his hands, Timothy received a gift of God. What was this gift? We may be tempted to list of one of the gifts mentioned elsewhere: ...

              He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) Exalt [c. 1400, "to give off vapor, flow out," from Old French exalter (10c.), from Latin exaltare "raise, elevate," from ex "out, out of, from within" (see ex- ) + altus "high," literally "grown tall," from PIE root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish." From early 15c. as "to elevate in rank or honor;" also "glorify, praise, extol."] ( Exalt )- Etymology, Origin & Meaning                 What does it mean to exalt God? What does it mean to worship Him? I suspect we all have some vague, high-level notion, but what is your “not Sunday School,” real answer? Yes, I’m stuck on a definition again. I’ve included the etymology, but what do those meanings mean? For some folks, worship means singing praise songs.  It’s raising hands and swayi...

                  “ Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)                 Since we have been considering wisdom off and on recently, I thought I’d continue with the subject today. Jesus was speaking to people who had believed Him. And as usual, His hearers misunderstood Him.  They proclaimed that, as descendants of Abraham, they had never been enslaved to anyone. What about Egypt, the Medes and Persians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans?  Then, of course, they were slaves to sin, to unbelief, and to mistaken beliefs. But, no, they had never been enslaved.                 But let’s deal with Jesus’ statement for a moment because it’s bold. If the people who had believed Him so far would hold to His t...

                 Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?   At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance,   she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. To the discerning, all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge. Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. (Proverbs 8:1-11) How were women supposed to behave back in the time of Solomon?...

                 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.” (Job 38:1-7)                 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray fo...

                 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can keep from speaking? (Job 4:1-2)                 Things went from bad to worse for Job, and eventually, he ended up on an ash heap, scraping his sores with a piece of broken pottery. Three friends showed up and spent seven days just sitting with him before Job gave voice to his pain. That’s when Eliphaz spoke up, and he, his friends, and at least one other spend the next 34 chapters arguing with Job about what a sinner he is and his lack of faith. It was, and is, a common belief among some that bad things only happen to bad people or should only happen to bad people. And in my statement yesterday that none of us are good, I could be labeled one of “Job’s friends.” But that’s neither what I said or what I meant.     ...

                   In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.   His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. (Job 1:1-5)   As I noted yesterday, Job provides at least one answer to the question of “Can a good and omnipotent God allow ba...

                 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “ Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.    But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”   The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (Job 1:6-12)   The story of Job is the...

                 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) To everything (Turn, turn, turn) There is a season (Turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under Heaven A time to be born, a time to die A time to plant, a time to reap A time to kill, a time to heal A time to laugh, a time to weep To everything (Tur...

                 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless… A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. ” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2, 2:24-26) The book of Ecclesiastes is a challenge, because it seems to unsay much of what was said in Proverbs (often by the same person: Solomon). Among other things, it describes Solomon’s search for the core of life. He pursued wisdom, pleasure, achievement, wealth, and possessions and observes oppression, toil, and friendless...

                 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:20-27)                 Back to Proverbs and wisdom. On the side opposite of avoiding bad company, Proverbs explores the theme of adopting good character traits. Ellen Davis lists discipline, obedience, and fear. The ancient Greeks listed the four cardinal virtues as prudence, justi...

                 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (I Timothy 5:1-2) Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39) Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,    and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ( Matthew 20:25-28) We interrupt the regularly schedule blog post for this ra...

       My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”— my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood. How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it. (Proverbs 1:9-19) One of the repeated themes of the book of Proverbs is “Don’t hang with bad characters.” It makes perfect, easy sense. You tend to become like those who are the focus of your attention. In today’s passage, the bad characteri...

                   The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.   The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:1-7)                 Going from Song of Solomon to Proverbs, while still reading writings of the same person, is like going from a rave to a cloister cell. One follows the excitement of a romance, which can be true, real, and good, but is still new and exc...

                 Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love. Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires . (Song of Solomon 2:7) The next section of Scripture covered is one that has been controversial. I’ve heard it described as Solomon’s only proper relationship. That doesn’t seem sufficient merit to include it in Scripture, and that is the basis of the debate. God isn’t mentioned, and what is described is a dialogue that is far too intimate for “proper” society. Instead, according to Ellen Davis in Getting Involved With God, what we see is a third comparison of the relationship between God (the King) and man/Israel/The Church (The Shulammite Woman). The first relationship is God,...

                 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.  For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:16-19) Again, this passage begins a familiar story. The thing God chooses not to hide from Abraham is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham tries to talk God out of it based on the number of the righteous in the city. What makes it such an important story is that it shows that God doesn’t fall apart when someone respectfully argues with Him. In fact, Abraham might almost b...

                 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.      Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”   Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.    He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (Genesis 22:1-5) I don’t need to include the whole narrative. If you don’t know what happened, you can go read the rest of the story in Genesis 22. This incident has been described as appalling. B...

                 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation,     and I will bless you; I will make your name great,     and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,     and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth     will be blessed through you.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. In comparison to the drama of the burning bush Moses saw, God called Abram with what might be described as a whisper. Abram’s father had moved th...